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As the world watches the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfold, UkraineAlert delivers the best Atlantic Council expert insight and analysis on Ukraine twice a week directly to your inbox.

editor’s picks

Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2026

Ukraine’s tech-savvy defense minister ousted in clash with army old guard

By Peter Dickinson

President Zelenskyy's decision to side with the army old guard and oust Ukraine's tech-savvy Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has sparked a political crisis and raised questions over the country's future direction, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2026

Innovation under fire: Ukraine’s energy defense is a blueprint for the world

By Oleksii Riabchyn

Those who still treat energy resilience as a technical matter are not prepared for the changes currently taking place in military doctrine. Thanks to Ukraine, the blueprint to address this vulnerability exists, writes Oleksii Riabchyn.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2026

Ukraine’s national recovery must go far beyond rebuilding what was lost

By Vitalii Kim

As international efforts to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine continue, it is also vital to look beyond the battlefield and address the issue of Ukraine’s recovery in order to create the conditions for a genuine national renewal, writes Vitalii Kim.

Conflict Critical Infrastructure Policy

UkraineAlert

Jul 14, 2026

Drone superpower Ukraine is now Europe’s first line of defense

By David Kirichenko

Ukrainian troops took part in the annual Bastille Day parade in Paris for the first time on July 14, underling Ukraine's key role as Europe's first line of defense against Putin's Russia, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Jul 9, 2026

NATO summit dashes Putin’s hopes of outlasting the West in Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

This week's NATO summit in Ankara focused on demonstrating a united front in support of Ukraine. This was a major blow for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who still hopes Western disunity can hand Russia victory in Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Jul 7, 2026

Putin escalates ballistic missile attacks as Patriot shortages leave Ukraine defenseless

By Karlis Kuskevics

Ballistic missiles are accounting for a growing share of Russia’s increasingly deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities, as Moscow unleashes a new bombing strategy seeking to exploit a global shortage of US-made Patriot air defense systems, writes Karlis Kuskevics.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Jul 6, 2026

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine

By Oleksandr Tolokonnikov

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine, with thousands of Ukrainian civilians facing severe risks to their lives, food shortages, and a lack of medical assistance, according to a new UN report.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Jul 5, 2026

With Putin visibly weakened, now is the time to back Ukraine

By Kira Rudik

Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently in a weaker position than at any time since Ukraine's battlefield victories in 2022. Kyiv's Western allies must seize this window of opportunity to push for peace through strength, writes Kira Rudik.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Jul 4, 2026

Putin may gamble on mobilization to rescue Russia’s Ukraine invasion

By Mykola Bielieskov

With the tide turning in Ukraine's favor on the battlefield and Russian manpower problems mounting, Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin may soon be forced to gamble on a politically risky mass mobilization in order to rescue his invasion, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Jul 4, 2026

Ukraine is showing NATO the future of warfare

By Myroslava Gongadze

Over five years, Ukraine has done more than expose Russia's weaknesses. It has revealed the future of warfare. NATO leaders must now demonstrate at the Ankara Summit that they are ready for the new security environment, writes Myroslava Gongadze.

Conflict Defense Technologies

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The views expressed in UkraineAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.

The Eurasia Center’s mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe and Turkey in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.

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Content

UkraineAlert

May 28, 2026

Ukraine’s battlefield success should not lead us to underestimate Russia

By Peter Dickinson

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has failed to achieve any of its key goals, but this reflects Ukrainian strength rather than Russian weakness. Putin's army remains a formidable threat to Europe that must not be underestimated, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

May 26, 2026

Kyiv hosts Belarus opposition leader as Moscow drags Minsk closer to war

By Hanna Liubakova

As concern mounts that Moscow is pushing Minsk to join the invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv is strengthening ties with the democratic Belarusian opposition, writes Hanna Liubakova.

Belarus Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 22, 2026

Vyshyvanka Day celebrates Ukrainian identity amid Russia’s genocidal war

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine's annual Vyshyvanka Day holiday has emerged as a simple yet profound grassroots celebration of Ukrainian national identity at a time when Russia is attempting to destroy Ukraine as a state and as a nation, writes Peter Dickinson.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 21, 2026

As Russian losses mount in Ukraine, Putin seeks more foreign fighters

By Marc Goedemans, Katherine Spencer

With no end in sight to the invasion of Ukraine, Putin is looking to recruit more foreign fighters to counter heavy Russian losses while avoiding a politically risky mobilization, write Marc Goedemans and Katherine Spencer.

Africa Central Asia

UkraineAlert

May 19, 2026

From Moscow to Crimea, Ukraine is winning the drone war against Russia

By David Kirichenko

As Russia’s full-scale invasion enters a fifth summer, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the tide in the drone war has turned in Ukraine’s favor, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

May 19, 2026

Ukraine’s experience can teach Europe how to defend against Russia

By Valeriya Ionan, Nicolas Dunais

Ukraine's wartime transformation should inform European defense modernization in both technology and doctrine. Europe must now choose: Seize the opportunity to adapt or procrastinate and risk future defeat, write Valeriya Ionan and Nicolas Dunais.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

May 14, 2026

Putin’s parade projected weakness but he is now more dangerous than ever

By Maksym Beznosiuk, William Dixon

While the Kremlin dictator is clearly in a weakened position, a diminished Vladimir Putin could be more dangerous than ever, write Maksym Beznosiuk and William Dixon.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

May 14, 2026

Zelenskyy raises alarm over Russia’s escalating ‘human safari’ in Ukraine

By Oleksandr Tolokonnikov

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has raised the alarm over Russia’s escalating “human safari” tactics targeting the civilian population in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region, writes Oleksandr Tolokonnikov.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

May 14, 2026

Bulgaria is unlikely to become Putin’s new proxy within the European Union

By Kristian Kafozov

Newly elected Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev is unlikely to replace recently ousted Hungarian leader Viktor Orban as Vladimir Putin's proxy within the EU and NATO, writes Kristian Kafozov.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

May 12, 2026

Ukrainian long-range drones are turning Russia’s size into a weakness

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine is waging a strategic bombing campaign of deep strikes across the Russian Federation that aims to exploit Russia's colossal size and transform it from a key strength into a fatal weakness, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Technologies